MANILA — A former special disbursing officer of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio repeatedly told the Senate impeachment court that she could not recall whether Davao City received P460 million in confidential funds annually from 2019 to 2022 — allocations that prosecutors said totaled nearly P2 billion during Duterte-Carpio’s tenure as mayor.
Gina Acosta, who handled Duterte-Carpio’s confidential fund transactions in Davao City before later serving in the same capacity at the Office of the Vice President (OVP), appeared on Monday as a hostile witness for the prosecution.
Prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan questioned Acosta about reports that Davao City received P460 million in confidential funds in 2019.
“Hindi ko maalala,” Acosta said.
When pressed about the amount allocated to the city, Acosta again said she could not remember, citing the passage of time and her age.
“Hindi ko maalala, Your Honor, tagal naman kasi ‘yon, Your Honor, tapos may edad na po ako, Your Honor,” she said.
Ligutan then presented a graphic showing Davao City receiving P460 million in confidential funds annually from 2019 through 2022.
He asked Acosta whether she could confirm that Davao City also received P460 million in 2022, shortly before Duterte-Carpio left the mayoralty to assume the vice presidency.
Acosta again said she could not remember.
Ligutan pointed out that the reported P460-million annual allocations over four years would amount to nearly P2 billion and asked Acosta whether she could recall the overall figure.
The former special disbursing officer again said she could not.
The questioning sought to trace Duterte-Carpio’s handling of confidential funds beyond the OVP and back to her years as Davao City mayor.
Acosta’s testimony came as the Senate impeachment court continued hearing allegations involving Duterte-Carpio’s alleged misuse of confidential funds from the OVP and the Department of Education.
The prosecution is seeking to establish how confidential funds were handled under Duterte-Carpio in her previous government posts, while the vice president and her defense team have denied the allegations.
After questioning Acosta about Davao City’s confidential fund allocations, Ligutan shifted the proceedings back to the OVP’s confidential funds./PN
